Do Bacteria Really Cause Tooth Decay?

Dental problems are one of the widespread issues of the present age. Dental cavities are one of the dental problems from which most of the people of the world are suffering. Be it children, adults or old ones, there are huge number of patients of tooth decay and cavities. Despite the presence of different remedies and control measures, this problem is not being solved.

The American Dental Association states that when food with carbohydrates (starches and sugars) like milk, cakes, pop and candies are left on the teeth as remains, tooth decay takes place. They say that the bacteria that live in the mouth thrive on the remains of the foods and produce acids. These acids gradually destroy enamel which protects the tooth and finally result to tooth decay.

However, there are a few objections against this view of American Dental Association. They are:

The groups of indigenous people who didn’t use to brush or floss even after having fermentable carbohydrates stuck on their teeth didn’t have much complaints of tooth decay.

Since there is lack of nutrients in bacteria, they do not consume processed sugar or flour.

Milk, vegetables, meat, fish and fruits are the foods that bacteria like to eat. But these foods are not taken as the causes of tooth decay.

So, if the contemporary explanation of the causes of tooth decay is not totally correct, then what is the accurate explanation of the reasons behind tooth decay?

As researched by Dr. Weston Price and other pioneers of dental research, three factors have been accused of being the causes of tooth decay. They are:

Lack of enough minerals in the diet.

Lack of sufficient amount of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) in the diet.

Nutrients not being able to be readily bioavailable and less efficiency of our intestinal system to absorb them properly. This factor is largely affected by the presence of phytic acid.

If our diet doesn’t contain enough amount of vitamins and minerals or it contains high levels of phytates (from seeds, legumes, grains and nuts) for a long time, an imbalance takes place in the blood chemistry and the ratio of phosphorus and calcium. As a result, the minerals become polluted from bones which causes loss of tooth and bone.

Hence, we can say that the long-standing belief that sugar and sweets are the ones causing tooth decay is true since depletion of nutrients in our body occurs due to these foods. But the logic that sugar and sweets remained in our teeth are eaten up by bacteria and the acid that they produce after eating them up ruins our teeth is totally incorrect.

But there is no need to worry about this problem since there are some food remedies that can tooth decay and cavities. In order to bring the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in our blood to balanced condition, and to enable minerals to bond to our teeth, avoiding the consumption of too many sweet or processed foods is not enough. Intake of health-building foods with sufficient amounts of minerals and vitamins that can make up a glassy hard tooth structure is also vital.
For this, the foods that should be focused are:

Since phytic acid plays an important role in tooth decay, it is necessary to minimize the use of foods that contain high amount of phytic acid. The foods that contain large amount of phytic acid are beans, nuts, seeds and grains. Similarly, the consumption of processed flours and sugars should also be reduced since they upset the blood sugar balance.